Saturday, February 28, 2009

Wallace Live



Have you been to the Wallace Live website lately? If you have, you know that the live camera is up and operational! The camera is located on the tower at the I-40 building location at the corner of Murray St. and N. Norwood St. It is usually pointed at the intersection of Norwood and Southerland. (It is a great tool for checking out how crowded the Piggly Wiggly parking lot is before you head over there!) www.wallacelive.com is the brainchild of John and Bartley Dixon, and though the site has been slow to come into it’s own, it has great potential. Currently it hosts the webcam 24/7, and Joe Lanier’s “Son of a Gun” column regularly, and there are links posted to several local businesses in the links section. They offer free listings for classified ads and community events, so be sure to let them know if you are having a church, school, or organization event. The site also offers space for local news, paid advertising, and letters to webmaster. Once again, Wallace is leading the way in taking a town to new heights online. Our Town site, the Chamber website, the Downtown blog, and now Wallace live continue to put Wallace on the virtual internet map. Good news when people are looking for someplace to move to, or locate their business to!

Member Spotlight: Fancy Farmer




Rick and Gina Davis had a dream. Like many small businesses, it started at the dining room table...and it grew. Gina started by making handbags that she sold at local events and festivals - and to friends. By the time they decide they needed a store, the handbags had overtaken the dining room and garage, and any spare space they had! They opened the Fancy Farmer in May of 2008, at 103 W. Main St., and initially modified the space to allow for some storage at the back. A year later, they have again modified the space - this time to give them more room! The product line is dedicated to items and gifts that are personal- bags and market baskets, backpacks and spa wear that can be monogrammed onsite- personalized stationary and jewelry that can be personalized (or just fun!). In addition to the hand made bags, they now carry
all the trendiest bags, polka dots and animal prints included.
Rick will admit that opening the store was much more involved than he and Gina anticipated. It took more planning, more time, more effort to keep current on trends, more elbow grease, more time …. and yet more time.
Rick and Gina have worked since the beginning to bring new things into the mix, and this January, they went to the gift market in Atlanta for the first time. It was a bit more wear and tear on the feet than even Rick, who is in real life a mail carrier, expected- but they brought back some great finds!
New to the mix at the shop are Lakeshore candles, Bigwood personalized cutting boards, and a line of invitations and announcements as part of an invitation service. They also found great silver jewelry that can be personalized as well.
Gina, who is a teacher at Penderlea, is in the shop on Saturdays- and other days as her schedule allows. Once again, there is that thing called time! While she had time to go over to the dining room in the evening when the whole operation was out of the home, now the time that needs to be divided between work and home and ordering and being in the shop and completing monogram orders and...everything else in life can seem a little less than time was before.
Even though there is much time and more effort involved in the venture, Rick and Gina are glad they took this step...it is after all….the fulfillment of a dream!

New Member Spotlight: H & M Printing



The “H&M” of H&M Printing and Design are husband and wife Heuston and Melanie Hall. Heuston is a native of Duplin County- he’s from Beulaville to be exact, Melanie is from Virginia. This enterprising couple returned to Duplin County, and worked to meet the needs they saw in the community. Melanie had worked at a university in Virginia, handling printing duties, so the business is second nature to her. Heuston, whose background was in banking, knew there was no Fed-Ex shipping closer than Wilmington, and started pursuing what was needed to bring it here. H&M offers shipping services, printing and copying, color copies, high volume shredding, graphic design services, signs, and invitation printing. Their printing services include everything from letterhead and envelopes to presentations. Their turnaround on simple black and white business cards is only a couple of days- expect color in a week. They carry a selection of popular office supplies, and have terminals available for internet use. In March, they will add Notary services to the list. With a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, they are sure to be a welcome member of the business community in Wallace, and the Chamber of Commerce. H&M is located on E. Southerland St. between Edward Jones and Southern States.

February Meeeting: The future of the electric car


Nfassory Kake spoke to the Chamber at the February meeting about the future of electric cars. Kake, a native of Sierra Leone, Africa, is a mathematics instructor at James Sprunt Community College. Kake explained the new technology being used in lithium ion batteries, in which rutile, a mineral that is mined in Sierra Leone is ionized with lithium. The cars that will utilize these batteries will be superior to current hybrid auto technology- having more power, charging more quickly, and costing less to replace. There are plans currently in place for a lithium ion battery manufacturing plant to be built in Michigan.

The Heart of Customer Service

Whether your business is a store, a restaurant, or a service provider, the one thing that will keep the customers coming back is good customer service. In a day when businesses must be conscious of costs- it is the one thing that costs nothing.
You know when you have been impressed by the level of customer service someone gave you- it was the person who said they’d order something for you- and did….the person who called back with an answer when they said they would...the waitress that remembered that you like your sandwich without the pickle...the person who suggested an alternative that could save you money. It impressed you- and it didn’t cost a thing!
As business owners, the most important thing we need to do daily is service our customers at a level that exceeds their expectations. It may be staying late or opening early to meet someone’s needs, making an extra effort to find an item, or spending time training your staff to understand the importance of meeting the customer’s needs.
These days, you can’t take anything for granted, especially not your customers! Independent business owners cannot afford to be too busy to take the time to talk to their customers and cannot become complacent about keeping them. Now is the time to value your customers and keep them coming back. Maybe you can start a referral program- offering a discount for a new customer referral, or a customer loyalty program- offering a percentage off one visit after 10 visits. Maybe it is a special that goes out only to customers- not the general public, or a special preview of new items you are carrying that is by invitation only. Put on your thinking caps, and surprise your customers with an exceptional experience!
Have you been the recipient of great customer service? We want to know! Fill out the survey on the blog. (www.wallacechamber.blogspot.com) Look for results in future issues.
Marlane

Chamber of Commerce Member Directory

We will begin compiling the Wallace Chamber of Commerce Directory in the next couple of months for distribution mid-year. This will be a full color publication being printed by AdverMarket, the same folks printing our newsletter. It will be a glossy publication we can all be proud of!
All 2009 members will be listed in the directory which will be given to Chamber of Commerce members, new businesses and new residents as well as visitors to the Chamber office. You recently received information regarding the opportunity to do some extra advertising at a nominal fee. We are very excited about this venture, and want all our members to be a part of it!
Remember that the rates are lower the sooner that you commit to advertising. Call Lou at 910-285-4044 with questions or for more information.

Golf Tournament- May 8.2009

Plans are already under way for the 6th Annual Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament, being held this year on May 8th. With the earlier date, the weather is sure to be perfect for a day on the greens at River Landing! Start making your plans now for your team and your sponsorships. Call Lou at 285-4044 for more information!